Closure for burial-vaults.



Y S. ALLENBAUGH. CLOSURE FOR BURIAL VAULTS.

APPLlcAnoN FILED ocr. 21. 1911.

Patented J un 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w, 0 l l lll I ff wem-:-

gwuemtoz Samuel. HLLENB'HUGH I ,I @31a S. ALLENBAUGH.

cLosunEfoR BURIAL vAuLTs'.

APPLICATION FI'LED OCT. 27. IBII;

Patented June 1S, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JHMUEL HLLEN BHUGH attentat! UNITED STATES vPATENT crimson,

SAMUEL ALLENBAUGH, 0F GALION, OHIO.

CLOSURE FOR BURIAL-VAULTS.

Application led October 27, 191'?. Serial No. 198,841.

To aZZ whom z may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL ALLENBAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Burial- Vaults, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved vault closure and has for its primary object to provide simple and eective means for securely closing and sealing the head or door of a burial vault or similar structure.

It is another object of the invention to provide locking means for the vault head which is operable to removably hold the head in place during shipment of the vault, and means to coact with a part of the locking mechanism whereby the vault head may be permanently locked and sealed in place and the operation of the locking mechanism prevented.

It is a further general object of my invention to provide a locking device as above characterized which is simple and durable in its construction, which may be easily operated and is capable of manufacture at relatively small cost.

With the above and other obj ects in view the invention consists in the improved combination, construction and arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the vault looking at the inner face of the door or head and illustrating one embodiment of the locking mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings 5 designates the wall of the vault body to which, within the vault and in spaced relation at one of its ends, a continuous angular metal plate 6 is riveted or otherwise Securely Xed, said plate having one of its flanges 7 projecting inwardly from the vault wall.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1s, 1918.

f 8 designates the closure head or door for the vault which is in the form of a solid steel plate. A cylindrical bearing member 9 extends centrally through the head plate 8 and is formed with an annular Bange 10 intermediate of its ends which is engaged against the inner lface of the plate 8 and securely riveted thereto. A cylindrical actuating member 11 is rotatably mounted 1n the bearing 9 and is provided upon one 'end with a reduced cylindrical stem or shank 12 forming an annular shoulderv13. A circular plate or'disk 14 is loosely engaged on the stem l2 and is provided with a central boss 15 on its inner face in which a diametrically extending groove or channel 16 is formed. In the extremity of the shank 12 of the actuating member 1l a transverse pin 17 is xed for engagement in the groove 16. The other end of the member 11 has threaded engagement in the outer end of the bearing 9 as indicated at 18 and is provided with a ange 19 between which and the end of the bearing 9 a packing gasket 20 is disposed. This end of the actuating member 11 is further provided with a rectangular socket 21 to receive one endof an operating crank indicated at 22. v

28 designates the locking frames which are arranged in diametrically opposed relation and are preferably of skeletonized construction. Each of these frames is providedwith a plurality of slotted or bifurcated lugs 24, and also with a! single inwardly projecting angularly offset arm 25. This arm carries a stud 26 loosely engaged through one of the eccentrically disposed slots 27 in the metal disk 14. These slots extend in the same direction from a point adjacent the perimeter of the disk inwardly toward the center of the disk. A cotter pin or other suitable key 28 is engaged through an aperture in the end of the stud 26 to retain the same in connection with the disk 14. Each of the frames 23 is further provided with a slot 29 to receive a guide pin 3() which is fixed in the head plate 8.

In the plate 8 in spaced relation to each of its edges, a series of spaced keeper bolts 31 are fixed, each of said bolts being formed on its inner end with a head 32. These bolts are engaged'in the slots of the several lugs 24 on the shiftable locking frames.

The actuating memberll is provided intermediate of its ends with peripheral ratchet'teeth 33. A pin 34 is slldably engaged at one of-'its ends in an opening in the wall of the bearing 9 and has its other end loosely engaged in an apertured lug 35 formed on the disk 10. A spring 36 surrounding said pin has bearingv engagement with the lug and with a transversely disposed pin 37'fixed in the pin 34. A set screw 38 is threaded in the lug35 for binding engagement with the pin 34 to hold said pin out of coacting engagement withthe ratchet teeth 33 on the actuating member 11.

From the foregoing description the operation of the device will be readily understood. Assuming that the pin 34 is held out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 33 by means of the set screw 38, in order to remove the closure head, the crank 22 is applied to the end of the member 11 and then rotated? in a counter-clockwise direc-tion to unthread said member from the bearing 9. This member is then axially moved outwardly to vcause the pin 17 carried thereby to engage in the groove 16. The actuating member is then again turned toward the left whereby the disk 14 is rotated and the walls of the cam slots 27 coacting with the studs, operate to pull the frames Q3 inwardly and thereby disengage the slotted lugs 24 from the flange 7 of the anglefplate'. llhe head plate or door can then be removed bodily from the end ofV the vault. ln shipping the vault, the closure head is temporarily locked in place by first retracting. thepin 34 and tightly securing said pin in its inoperative position by means of the set screw 38. The actuating member 11 is then pulled outwardly to engage the pin 17 in the groove 16 and said member rotated in a clockwise direction or from left to right to turn the disk 14,1and thus move the several frames 23 radially in an outwardi direction, shifting the slotted lugs 2401i thebolts 31 and causing the ends of said lugs to bear frictionally against the inner face of the flange 7 onthe angle plate 6. The member 1'1 is then forced inwardly and further turned toward the right to thread' said member into the outer end of the bearing 9 until the gasket 20 is tightly compressed between the flange 19 on saidy member and the end of the bearing. When the vault arrives at its destination, the head. 8 may be easily and quickly removed so ythat the casket can be placed within the vault by operating thefdevice as above described;

When it is desired tof permanently locky the vault head or door in placefso as-to prevent access to the vault by marauders or other unauthorized parties,y the set screw 38 is loosened so thatk the spring 36 will' act to force the end of the pin 34 into operative engagement with the ratchet teeth 33 on they member 1X1. When the closure head is then arranged in the end of the vault and the member ll' actuated to lock the head in place,

'c when this member has been tightly threaded into the bearing 9, the pin 34 will engage one of the ratchet` teeth 33 and thereby prevent the rotation of said member 11 in a counter-'clockwise direction whereby said member might be unthreaded from the bearing' 9 and the locking mechanism'actuated.

Fromthe foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, several advantages and the manner of operation of my improved vault closure and lock will be readily under.- stood. The locking mechanism is simple and durable in its construction as well as effective andreliable to securely lock the vault head in place. Preferably, an annular gasket 39 of rubber or other compressible material is interposed between the outer edge of the head plate 8 and the flange 7 of the angle plate 6 so as to hermetically seal the vault and prevent the entrance of moisture to the interior thereof. lt will be manifest that when the pin 34 is operatively engaged with the clutch teeth 33, access to this pin from the exterior of the vault is precluded so that it cannot be engaged and moved from its effective position by the insertion of a wire or other tool, whereby the locking mechanism might be actuated and the closure head removed. l have herein illustrated a particular form and construction ofthe several shiftable locking frames 23, but these frames might of course be made in various other forms and mounted and arranged upon the vault head in other ways from that therein disclosed. The several other cooperating elements of the lock mechanism are likewise susceptible of considerable modification, and it is therefore to be understood that I reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly `embodied-within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz- 1. The combination with a vault body and closure head.y therefor, of locking mechanism carried by said closure head including a plurality of shiftable locking members to coact withmeansf on the body wall of the vault, a rotatable and axially movable actuating member mounted in the closure head, and means operatively connecting thel locking frames to each other for movement as a unit with which saidy actuatingmember is adapted to be operatively connected by an axial movement thereof to effect the actuation of the locking frames upon the subsequent rotation of said actuating member and move said frames to their effective locking positions or to their released positions.

2. The combination with a vault body and closure head therefor, of locking mechanism carried by the closure head includingA a plurality of shiftablc locking frames adapted to coact with means on the body wall of the vault, an actuating element having a threaded connection with the vault head, means operatively connecting the locking frames to each other for simultaneous shifting movement, and means carried by said actuating element to operatively engage the connecting means between said frames when said actuating element is rmthreaded from connection with the vault head and axially moved with respect thereto to shift said frames upon a subsequent rotation of said element and move the frames to effective locking position or to their released positions.

3. The combination with a vault and closure head therefor, of locking mechanism carried by said closure head including shiftable locking frames to engage a part fixed to the body wall of the vault, a bearing centrally secured in the head and internally threaded at one end, an actuating member extending through said bearing and having threaded engagement therewith, a member loosely engaged on said actuating element and operatively connecting the locking frames to each other for simultaneous movement, said actuating element having means to coact with said member when the actuating element is unthreaded from the bearing and moved axially therethrough whereby the frames are actuated upon a subsequent rotation of said element and moved to their locking or released positions, and means mounted upon the bearing and adapted to be positioned for operative engagement with the actuating element when the latter is threaded into the bearing to prevent the operation of said element and of the shiftable frames whereby the vault head is permanently locked in place.

4. The combination with a vault and clo" sure head therefor, of locking mechanism carried by said closure head including shiftable locking frames to engage a part fixed to the body wall of the vault, a bearing centrally secured in the head and internally threaded at one end, an actuating member extending through said bearing and having threadedl engagement therewith, a member loosely engaged on said actuating element and operatively connecting the locking frames to each other for simultaneous movement, said actuating element having means to coact with said member when the actuating element is unthreaded from the bearing and moved axially therethrough whereby the frames are actuated upon a subsequent rotation of said element and moved to their locking or released positions, and a spring pressed pin mounted on the bearing, said actuating member' having ratchet teeth with which said pin is adapted to coact to prevent the rotation of said member after it has been threaded into the bearin whereby the actuation of the locking rames is prevented and the closure head permanently locked in place.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

SAMUEL ALLENBAUGH.

Witnesses:

" ANNA M. PARRY, N. G. KNIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

